Why we should allow second-rate universities to go bankrupt February 20, 2019 The political spotlight remains focused on Brexit, but an important dogfight is developing in the area of higher education. The specific issue is whether universities in the UK should be allowed to go bankrupt. It is not merely a theoretical question. In the past year, a number of universities have announced deficits running well into [...]
Theresa May will travel to Brussels with the EU still not budging on the backstop February 19, 2019 Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting with Jean Claude-Juncker after the EU once again ruled out fundamental changes to the Brexit deal. However, negotiators from both sides are currently working on a new legal text relating to the Irish backstop plan aimed at winning support from the UK parliament. Brexit [...]
Labour plunged deeper into chaos as another MP quits Corbyn’s ‘Stalinist’ party February 19, 2019 The Labour party has been plunged further into chaos after an eighth MP quit to join a new independent group, attacking leader Jeremy Corbyn for presiding over a culture of antisemitism. Joan Ryan, who has served in the Labour party for 25 years, said she was “appalled, horrified and angered” by Corbyn’s failure to address anti-Jewish [...]
Labour’s Magnificent Seven just made a no-deal Brexit more likely February 19, 2019 I am old enough to recall the “Gang of Four” in the eighties, when Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rogers left Labour to set up the Social Democratic Party. We know that all ended acrimoniously, with a reverse takeover by David Steel’s Liberal Party that created the Liberal Democrats. This week, we [...]
Jihadi bride Shamima Begum stripped of British citizenship February 19, 2019 The London schoolgirl who was located in Syria after running away to join the so-called Islamic State is to have her citizenship revoked, her family have said. Shamima Begum, who left her home in Bethnal Green at the age of 15 to join IS fighters, has begged to return to the UK after being found [...]
WTO blames trade war tariffs for weakest global trade in nine years February 19, 2019 Global trade is about to hit its lowest level in nearly nine years, warned the World Trade Organization (WTO) today, as international tensions and political uncertainty weigh on countries . The WTO's latest forecast warned that trade would fall below its baseline index value of 100 to 96.3 in the first quarter of 2019, the lowest reading since [...]
Twitter rolls out political ad tracking tools in Europe ahead of EU elections February 19, 2019 Twitter has launched new tools in Europe to make it easier for users to identify ads paid for by political campaigns, ahead of key elections due in May. The news follows similar moves by fellow social media firm Facebook, as tech platforms prepare to face potential regulation and renewed disinformation efforts from hostile actors. The European [...]
Jeremy Corbyn: MPs who split didn’t take opportunities to influence Labour policies February 19, 2019 Jeremy Corbyn says he “regrets” the decision of seven MPs to quit Labour but insisted they had ample opportunity to influence the direction of the party. In his first public appearance since Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey, Angela Smith, Gavin Shukar, Mike Gapes and Chuka Umunna broke away from the party yesterday, the Labour [...]
City councillor demands colleagues call him chairwoman in ‘ridiculous’ gender row February 19, 2019 A bitter row over centuries-old gender titles among City politicians has led to one male councillor "throwing his toys out of the pram" and demanding he is referred to as "chairwoman". City of London Corporation councillor Hugh Morris has asked that he be called chairwoman after the organisation's most senior politician Catherine McGuinness requested that [...]
Feeling the Bern: Bernie Sanders announces 2020 US presidential bid February 19, 2019 US senator Bernie Sanders has announced that he will make a second attempt at winning the Democratic Party presidential nomination next year. Sanders, who is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, became a political favourite when he lost his bid for the party's nomination in 2016 to former first lady Hillary Clinton. Making the announcement over [...]